Okay, so I was just scrolling through this whole Reddit thread about the whole Linus Tech Tips and Gamers Nexus drama, and honestly, it’s a real mess. The core of it is this video from Gamers Nexus, Steve’s channel, calling out LTT for some pretty serious stuff – bad testing practices, ethical issues, and this whole fiasco with a small startup called Billet Labs. Basically, LTT reviewed their custom waterblock prototype, tested it wrong on the wrong GPU, gave it a bad review, and then later auctioned off the prototype without the company’s permission or knowledge. And then, the real kicker is how Linus himself responded.
The mood in the thread is… pretty furious and disappointed. A huge number of people feel like Linus’s response on the forums, which he posted just a few hours after GN’s video, was a massive own-goal. Instead of taking a breath, maybe consulting with his new CEO or a PR person, he went in hot with what reads like a defensive, knee-jerk rant. People are calling it a “PR disaster” and saying it made him look even worse.
The biggest point of anger, the real gasoline on the fire, is the lying. Or, at the very least, a massive, intentional misrepresentation. In his response, Linus claimed that they had “already agreed to compensate” Billet Labs for the prototype. But then, GN’s follow-up video, with direct emails and statements from Billet, showed that was completely false. Billet said they were ghosted by LTT after asking about reimbursement, and the first offer of payment only came *after* GN’s video went live. That revelation absolutely exploded in the thread. People are using words like “gaslighting” – saying Linus tried to manipulate the timeline to make it seem like GN was jumping the gun, when in reality, LTT only moved to fix things once they were publicly shamed. The phrase “Trust Me Bro” is getting thrown around sarcastically everywhere.
There’s a deep sense of betrayal there, especially from long-time fans. They feel insulted that he’d lie to the community’s face. It’s not just about a mistake with a prototype anymore; it’s about the character and integrity of the person they’ve been watching for years. A lot of comments are from people saying they’re unsubscribing after a decade of support, because this burned their trust completely.
The Billet Labs situation itself is seen as incredibly scummy. The fact that it was a two-person startup makes it worse – this wasn’t some corporate giant, it was a tiny company whose entire future could be damaged. The way LTT casually told them “the good news is it’s no longer sitting on a shelf!” with a clenched-teeth emoji after auctioning their property is just mind-boggling to everyone. It shows a shocking lack of professionalism and basic empathy. People are dissecting every step: why they tested it on the wrong GPU when they were sent the right one, why the inventory was so messed up, and how Linus brushed off re-testing properly as not worth the $500 in manpower, which seems incredibly short-sighted when you’re gambling your company’s reputation.
And then it spirals into bigger criticisms of Linus and LMG’s culture. His habit of doubling down on mistakes on the WAN Show is coming back to haunt him. People are connecting this to older rumors and allegations about a toxic workplace, low pay in expensive Vancouver, and policies that screw over employees, like banning salary discussions. The fact that he bypassed his own new CEO to post that terrible response is seen as proof that he can’t let go of control and his ego is a huge problem. Some are even saying this whole incident shows his “true colors” as an out-of-touch, wealthy business owner who’s lost touch with his audience.
There’s a smaller, but present, sentiment of sympathy for the regular employees at LMG, who are now stuck in this PR nightmare created by leadership. And a few are still trying to defend the idea that GN should have reached out for comment first, but most are siding with Steve’s explanation that when you have a pattern of behavior and are confident in your facts, you don’t always owe that to a corporation, especially when they might just use it to spin the narrative.
Overall, the thread paints a picture of a community that’s had enough. They see a pattern of arrogance, poor handling of criticism, and now, outright dishonesty. The focus has shifted from the original mistake to the disastrous cover-up attempt and what it reveals about the person at the top. It’s less about a single bad review and more about a broken relationship between a creator and his audience.
